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HICKAM WARRIOR: Senior Airman Shane Williams

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Lauren Main
  • 15th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii- --  Senior Airman Shane Williams, KC-135 Boom Operator with the 96th Air Refueling Squadron, is not only this week's Hickam Warrior, but an elite member of the 2011 KC-135 Aircrew Rodeo Team.

"I'm excited to participate in Rodeo," said Airman Williams. "It means that others believe that I can get the job done."

The Rodeo is an Air Force-wide and multi-national competition that tests every aspect of the different teams' career fields. The events are physically and mentally challenging and include an obstacle course, combat challenges, timed air refueling missions and cargo load competitions.

"Senior Airman Williams was an easy pick for the 2011 Rodeo Team," said Capt. Kelly Church, KC-135 pilot with the 96 ARS. "He has proven himself exceptionally qualified as an instructor boom operator on more than one occasion."

Airman Williams has mandatory time set aside each week specifically dedicated to training. In addition to his regular flying missions, Airman Williams has one refueling mission every week that is solely devoted to training for Rodeo.

"It's a timed competition. So it's a combination between the pilot's expertise, the way they execute, and me," he said. "You have to make contact with the receiving plane at an exact moment and you're graded on how you do. It takes a lot of work."

Airman Williams will also have to put his sharp skills to use when it comes to the cargo load competition portion of the exercise.

"We load anywhere from three to five pallets and we're judged on how quickly, safely and accurately we can load them into the aircraft," said Airman Williams.

According to Airman Williams, the aspect that he's looking forward to the most at Rodeo is the competition.

"I'm excited to see how we stack up against other squadrons. I'm interested to see how well they execute," he said. "But I'm very confident in my team, especially our team leader, Capt. Jasmine McCann."

However, given the choice between cargo loading and operating the boom, Airman Williams claimed he'd rather be refueling any day.

"His professionalism and job knowledge got him the job, but his likeable personality cemented his position as a member of the team," said Captain Church."

His dedication to his career and his team has earned him the respect of his fellow members. It's these qualities that landed him a position on the 2011 Rodeo Team as well as this week's Hickam Warrior.